What is it about New Zealand that makes you call it your "second home"?
Ever since I first came to NZ as a part of Future Forces Inc back in 97 I’ve been in love with the place, from the moment that first Flat White passed my lips I was hooked. The one thing that I value most about NZ is its people, who really know how to have a good time and value their friendships with great loyalty, this is a rare trait over here in the UK and one I find admirable. I have made some lifelong friends here and have been fortunate enough to find my future wife too, so NZ will hopefully soon be my first and permanent home.
You've been known to play sets from Swerve to Metalheadz, do you work hard to avoid being pigeon-holed as a dj?
Categories are a fact of life; we all follow a belief or belong to some kind of tribe. As soon as anyone comes up with what may be seen to be original, people will follow and a name needs to be attributed to it. I just consider myself fortunate that I’ve been able to straddle that line between the many genres within Drum & bass.
What are your thoughts on the so-called "digital revolution" and have you considered offering Exit releases via MP3?
I’m still undecided on this. I know it’s something I need to consider but I can’t get past some things. I was talking with a friend about this not too long ago and the one thing we both agreed on is that it seems like people are paying for nothing, because there’s nothing physical to own. In ten years time an MP3 is just going to be some data on a redundant hard drive you’ve forgotten about. The record collector in me can’t get my head round that, it just seems that the music loses its value to an extent when it’s formatted that way.
What inspired you to start the Aptitude Series (limited edition 10" releases with unique artwork) and is there something special about a tune which you'd sign for this purpose?
I was always unsure as to if I should release other people music on Exit outside of Exit Versus. To be honest I didn’t want the headache. But occasionally I heard tunes that if I did have a label I would have liked to put out. The Key was one such track, I’d been given it some time before it was finally released, I instantly feel in love with it but always had trouble playing it out, because it didn’t fit into the traditional role of a club track, but I felt it needed to be heard. What cinched it was when I was working with Fierce one day, he asked me about a Calibre track I’d always played and loved, he was curious as to why I hadn’t asked to put it out. In fact Calibre had offered it to me already and I’d said no. He thought I was a bit daft (he was right). It all seemed to come together quite quickly once I decided to do it. I’d had a an idea in the back of my head for a limited series on Exit for some time it was secretly fuelled by my need to see my records in Japan again. You seem to be able to find everything cool and collectable but not Drum & Bass anymore in shops over there. Once my partner had come up with the name, more and more pieces fell into place. The Aptitude Series is now a chance for me to release music and artwork (which I regard as equally important) by people whose work I admire and love and hopefully produce something that will stand the test of time.
Do you have any plans to make more non-drum & bass music in the vein of "The Hills" on your brother's album?
Making different forms of music has always been something I love to do, working on The Hills and the previous album on K7! (Vintage Hi-Tech) is something I needed to do for my own headspace and direction. I find when I work on music like that I’m able to bring something back into my work in Drum & bass. I’ve produced downbeat tunes for other producers and it’s something I want to continue to do as long as possible. I’ve got plans to work with some Kiwi artists while I’m over this year too- although I can’t name any names yet- watch this space.
What do you look for in a tune to play in a set?
It’s hard to pin point what it is, I know I’m drawn towards certain producers but my main focus is on music that has depth and soul, I’m definitely into my rollers. You probably won’t hear too many smash and grab anthems in my set.
Over the last couple of years you've released a number of collaborative tunes. How does the writing of these differ from your solo efforts?
I enjoy working on collabs as it gives me the chance to work with producers whose music I admire, it also gives me an opportunity to learn from them too. It’s nice to be able to apply some of what you do to another producer’s way of working and vice versa. Working with someone else is all about vibe and compromise. You have to be able to say no to each other with some of the things you both do and not be offended but trust that through these compromises the end result will hopefully bear something great.
When doing a remix, do you keep the original tune (melody, bass line etc) in mind or just start from scratch using the same samples?
For me when I approach a remix I don’t pay too much attention to the original. I take the sample I’m given and see how I’d used them if I’d found them myself, sometimes not to many of the original samples make it but I try to keep something at least one thing from the original so that it can still be recognized as a remix (hopefully!).
In the studio do you value songwriting over engineering or is it an equal combination of both that makes a quality drum & bass tune?
Personally I think songwriting is most important, if you’re not very good at engineering you can always call on someone who is.
What music in and outside of drum & bass excites you at the moment?
My Brother’s music excites me the most; I’m always surprised at what he comes up with. I’m feeling a guy called Burial at the moment; he’s a part of the emerging Dub step scene, even though I wouldn’t class his music as strictly dub step. I’m also a fan of bands like Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, and of course Fat Freddy’s Drop. In Drum & bass I’m feeling Steve Survival and more recently Instra:mental
A lot of "big names" in drum & bass have been accused of selling out or releasing lowest-common-denominator records recently. You've been in the scene as long as, or longer than, them; what sets you apart and keeps you interested?
I must admit I have a love-hate relationship with Drum & bass, for a while I didn’t know where I stood within the scene. It seemed like there wasn’t a place for my music in the ever-popular emergence of L-C-D Drum & bass. But I always knew I wasn’t alone in my train of thought. I knew my brother was going through the same thing and other producers I looked up had to deal with the same problems in their respective scenes. For me I believe that Drum & bass is capable of producing great music as well as shite. As in any genre of music you’ve got chart topping L-C-D crap hip-hop and underground integrity filled hip-hop. I think that L-C-D Drum & bass is just an indication of its popularity and age. I recently listened to Grooverider on Radio 1 and he played one of my tunes in a new section looking at Leftfield Drum & bass, I think he described it as “Tunes which don’t necessarily go off or get played on the dance floor but are good all the same” I wasn’t sure what to make of that at first but I think I quite like the idea of being left of centre. I look up to artists and labels who don’t conform to what’s expected, I can only hope to emulate that for myself and my label and it’s what keeps me interested.
Phat 07 has one of the best line-ups ever seen at a single event in NZ, who would be on the bill for your ideal festival and where would it be?
Jimi Hendrix, J, Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Lalo Schiffren, Spacek, The Doors and myself, I’d have it in my old home town of Malvern.
What can the crowd expect from you at Phat 07 and would an outdoor set be any different from a club set, selection wise?
I’m never sure of what I’m going to play until I get there. I like to get to event before my set so I can get an idea of what the crowd is like and what they want to hear, these kind of events differ somewhat, in the sense that in a club I can take my time, be selfish and build up my set as I see fit. Whereas at an event like this people have paid good money to be entertained and I’m getting paid to entertain them, so I’ll do my best to do that in the short time I have.
Finally, what is in store for us from D Bridge and Exit Records in 2007.
Not only have I come over to NZ for this event but I’m also here to write my solo album, I’ve been crate digging like a freak looking for samples and preparing everything so that I can spend the 2 months I’m staying writing my album. I intend to spend some time in Sydney with my brother to write some music together with him as well. I’m also releasing some of my brother’s music on Exit. The next release to come will be a project entitled ‘Steve Spacek Presents The Black Pocket Series’, which will highlight my Brothers music and be released alongside Drum & bass mixes featuring my brother on the B-Sides. These will lead up to a Black Pocket album in the New Year. Aptitude has some cool releases coming up. I’ve signed a Break and Survival tune called “Cronk” which is getting a lot of love. I want Aptitude to be a label that people want to release on and I’ve asked some producers whose work I love to do something for me. I recently got a call from Goldie saying he’d finished his track for me, so that’ll be coming soon too.
